Hi all,

Want to introduce myself to the class…some of us are already familiar with each other but there are some new names in the list.

I am currently taking 5111 and 5101…just finishing off the 5151 from the summer, so I am up to my eyeballs in online teaching & learning. Quite exciting stuff. I am excited about everything in my online teaching and learning journey and am looking forward to dedicating time towards learning all about the interesting technologies and how they are being used. You can read some of my background story in my other introduction.

…Creating learning communities, cooperation vs collaboration and designing authentic activities.

My goals for the course are better understand the field of distributed learning and best practices for it’s use. I am really unfamiliar with the field of distributed learning and it’s potential, although I feel fairly confident in learning new technological tools.

I had to look up the difference between distributed learning and online learning…as I really am not comfortable defining it.  I have been looking up distributed learning more and realize it is an instructional model that involves using various information technologies (video or audio conferencing, satellite broadcasting, and Web-based multimedia formats) to help students learn. It is also known as computer-mediated instruction. In this regard, I am interested in areas such as video production that will help people learn computer programs, use the web or their software in their jobs etc. I have been making videos in my job currently to help educate staff of the importance of some new practices etc.

I am quite comfortable in an online environment and using technology but find that I don’t feel as confident as I did before the courses, lol. I am learning so many new technologies that require patience with the learning curve…I guess I didn’t realize how much I didn’t know.

My expectations for this course are to enlighten me to the many possibilities of distributed learning and to find methods of teaching and communicating that I haven’t even imagined yet.

I have been a part of a couple learning communities in my experience and believe they are essential to the learning process. They help you consider other perspectives and to have an opportunity to think of what your learning through someone else’s eyes, rather than just your own. In school I have been part of a couple of different cohorts going through a program as well as in a leadership program. It has been quite helpful through my academic and professional growth. I will continue to seek out learning communities as I feel they bring value to their members.

Regards,

Jo